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STUDY OUTLINE SERIES 



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CONTEMPORARY 
DRAMA 



TENTATIVE EDITION 

Many clubs are convinced of the advantage 
of studying one subject thruout the season, and 
for this work a carefully prepared program is 
needed. Local or state committees and state 
library commissions have spent time in preparing 
outlines which would be suitable for use else- 
where if they could be made available by print- 
ing. It is proposed in this series to centralize 
such work and to conserve the effort spent in 
making a good outline by putting it in shape for 
distribution. The outlines in this edition are 
printed as originally prepared and they are 
experimental rather than typical. Clubs them- 
selves by an actual testing of the outlines will 
be able to offer suggestion and criticism which 
will lead to a revision of form. 

The H. W. Wilson Company 

Monograph 



The Study Outline and Its Use 

The series will include outlines on art, litera- 
ture, travel, biography, history and present day 
questions. 

The outlines vary in length. If more topics 
are given than the number of club meetings for 
the season, those topics that are more difficult 
to handle or on which there is less available 
material, may be dropped. If there are fewer 
topics than the scheduled meetings, certain topics 
may be divided. 

Lists of books are appended to some of the 
outlines. It would be well for the club to own 
some of the recommended books. Others can 
be obtained either from the local public library 
or from the state traveling library. When very 
full lists are given it is not necessary for any 
club to use all the books, but the longer list leaves 
more room for choice. 

The best material on some subjects may be 
found, not in books, but in magazines. These 
may be looked up under the subject in the 
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Maga- 
zine articles and illustrated material may be ob- 
tained from the Wilson Package Library. For 
terms see fourth page of cover. 

A partial list of the study outlines now in 
print will be found on page three of this cover. 
For latest additions to the list write to publisher. 



STUDY OUTLINE 
ON 

CONTEMPORARY DRAMA 



Prepared by 
ARTHUR BEATTY, Ph.D. 

Professor of English, University of Wisconsin 

for the 

Wisconsin Library Commission 



THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY 

WHITE PLAINS. N. Y.. and NEW YORK CITY 

1915 



STUDY OUTLINE 

ON 

CONTEMPORARY DRAMA 



Plays are chosen not from the standpoint of popu- 
larity, but from that of their importance in the develop- 
ment of contemporary drama. A star designates the 
plays of each dramatist that have been selected for 
intensive study. The remainder are recommended for 
supplemental reading, to gain an adequate idea of the 
author's srenius and characteristics. 



HENRIK IBSEN, BIOGRAPHY AND DRAMATIC 
METHOD (NORWAY, 1828-1906) 

A. Most Important Plays 

1. The Social Plays 

*A doll's house (1879) 
*Ghosts (1881) 

The wild duck (1884) 

Rosmersholm (1886) 

Lady from the sea 

2. Symbolical or Allegorical Plays 

*Hedda Gabler (1890) 
The master builder (1892) 
John Gabriel Borkman (1896) 



B. Biography and Dramatic Method 
i. Biography 

Show from a study of Ibsen's biography how 
he had his interest aroused in: 
i. Social questions 

2. The stage and theater 

3. Literature in general 

2. Dramatic Method 

Study Ibsen's fight against "the well-made 
play. Present the method of "the well-made play" 
and the meaning of the modern struggle in opposi- 
tion to it. In this connection study A doll's house, 
and note the following features as characteristic of 
the new drama : 

1. Natural conversation (no soliloquy) 

2. Ordinary people in ordinary home surround- 

ings 

3. Avoidance of the happy ending 

Hedda Gabler also shows Ibsen's method very 
completely 



II 



LEADING QUESTIONS DISCUSSED BY IBSEN 

A doll's house deals with woman's right to individual 
self-development. Show how this scheme is developed. 
The play is also a correction of hypocritical sentimental- 
ity, which stands in the way of what Ibsen Regards as 
real progress. 

Ghosts is a study of heredity, to draw the attention 
of men and women to their responsibility for disease in 
their children. The last speech of the play "The sun — 
the sun," is an example of Ibsen's use of symbolical lan- 
guage. The speech typifies the hope of the future. 

The wild duck is a satire on sentimentality, through 
a study of contrasted types of character, as illustrated by 
Hjalmar Ekdal, Gregers Werle, Gina, Hedvig. 



Rosmersholm. The play arose out of a desire to in- 
culcate the necessity of "a noble element" into life. 4 T 
am thinking, not of birth, nor of money, nor even of 
intellect, but of the nobility which grows out of character. 
It is character alone which can make us free," may be 
taken as the subject matter, or main idea, of the play. 
Show how this theme is worked out in the drama. 

The lady from the sea is a plea for individuality. This 
is the meaning of all Ellida's struggles. This is a sym- 
bolical play, that it, the Sea and the Stranger are symbols 
of the great natural powers about us, which mold us. 
The idea of the play and the symbol unite in Acts III and 
V, with the two appearances of the Stranger. 

Hedda Gabler is one of the most remarkable of Ibsen's 
plays. Hedda's tragic fate comes from two sources: 
(i) her own defects of character, and (2) from the fact 
that she found Tesman a very small man. Lovborg was 
a much greater man, but she was unworthy of him, and 
so was divided from him. 

The master builder. A symbolical drama. Two 
questions are discussed : ( 1 ) the new generation against 
the old; (2) the progress of Solness from the building 
pi churches to the building of homes where men and 
women may be happy. 

John Gabriel Borkman. A study of a man who is 
endowed with fine imagination, but becomes a criminal 
because he bartered love for wealth. Contrasted charac- 
ters : (1) father and son; (2) the two sisters. 

Ill 

MAURICE MAETERLINCK. BIOGRAPHY AXD 
EARLY PLAYS (BELGIUM, 1862-) 

Most Important Early Plays 

The Intruder (1893) 
*Pelleas and Melisande (1893) 

The Intruder. This is a fine example of the earlier 
symbolical plays. Note the symbolism in 
(7 the slowly expiring lamp 

b the sharpening of the scythe by the unseen mower 
c the barking of the dog 



d the wind and the cold 

e the opening of the door 

/ the window which cannot be closed 

g the striking of the clock 

h the Intruder, who is Death 
Observe the brevity of the dialogue. Much of the action 
takes place off the stage. Connect this fact with Maeter- 
linck's doctrine of silence as developed in his early essays. 
Pelleas and Melisande. Observe the following im- 
portant features: (a) Arkel, the grandfather, is the 
chorus of the play; (b) the situation is the triangle of 
love. Each one has perfect love ; but, as the play teaches, 
no such thing can be until the world has developed to a 
state much nearer perfection. 

IV 

MAURICE MAETERLINCK. LATER PLAYS 
Most Important Plays 

*Monna Vanna (1902) 
The blue bird (published in England, 1909; in France, 
1910) 

Monna Vanna. Is the philosophy of Marco Colonna 
cynicism or fatalism? Edward Schure regrets that the 
escape of the hero and heroine should have been "through 
a lie." Is this a sound criticism ? 

The blue bird is symbolical : The blue bird is happi- 
ness, which all are seeking. His method is to make us 
see his symbol through the eyes of children, animals, 
material things, such as bread and sugar, and general 
ideas. Work out the method of the play in detail, indi- 
cating what each represents. 

V 

GERHART HAUPTMANN (GERMANY, 1862-) 
Most Important Plays 

Before dawn (1889) 
*The weavers (1892) 
The sunken bell (1896) 



Before dawn. A study in heredity. Compare this 
play with Ibsen's Ghosts. Study the character of Helen. 
Study Hauptmann as a dramatist of social questions. 

The weavers. The great interest of this play is that 
it has scarcely any plot. Unity is preserved by the con- 
tinuous presence of Famine and Injustice. Note that 
two sets of characters appear, representing (a) the old 
order, and (b) the new order or revolution. 

The sunken bell. This play is a reaction from the 
severe social themes of the other dramas. It is a pre- 
sentation of the soul of the idealistic artist. It is cast in 
the form of a fairy play, as the sub-title indicates. 
Observe the motto which the author has chosen for this 
play : "Open the windows — Light and God stream in." 



VI 

HERMANN SUDERMANN (GERMANY, 1857-) 
Most Important Plays 

*Magda 
The joy of living 

Magda. A fascinating study in character. Magda 
claims the moral right to develop her individuality. Is 
she selfish, or is she not? 

The joy of living. A tremendous study of members 
of the political class who think they can transgress the 
moral law with impunity. Beata is the great character; 
and her relations with Richard are the center of the play. 

VII 

JOSfi ECHEGARAY (SPAIN, 1833-) 
Most Important Play 
The great Galeoto (1881) 

A powerful study of the force of slander, or gossip, 
which causes the tragedy. The distinctive mark of this 
drama is that slander rises to the force and reality of a 
living character. 



VIII 

EDMOND ROSTAND (FRANCE, 1868-) 
Most Important Plays 

The Princess Far- Away (1895) 
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) 
*Chantecler (1910) 

The Princess Far- Away. This is romantic in tone, 
and tells the old story of the love of Rudel the poet for 
the Lady of Tripoli. 

Cyrano de Bergerac. A fantastic romance in verse. 
The hero's ideas and physical make-up are fantastic. His 
last words are "My plume !" and his face is disfigured by 
an abnormally long nose. Note how completely this 
fantastic humor is carried out in the whole play. 

Chantecler. A fantastic animal play, with Chantecler 
for center. Study the part of each animal in the play 
and the human type represented by each one. Study the 
part of Chantecler, and note how his dignity and his 
belief in himself are preserved. 

IX 

ANTON TCHEKOFF (RUSSIA, i860-) 

Most Important Play 

The sea gull (1896) 

This play contains Tchekoff's ideas on (1) literature 
in general, and (2) on the Russian stage of his own day. 
What are the main ideas of Tchekoff on society as given 
in this play? Compare Nina with Ibsen's Nora and 
Hedda Gabler, and with Sudermann's Magda. 

X 

EUGENE BRIEUX (FRANCE, 1858-) 
Most Important Plays 

The three daughters of M. Dupont 
Damaged goods 
^Maternity (1904) 

6 



Each of Brieux's plays is built up around a central 
idea. This is particularly true of Damaged goods, on the 
theme of hereditary disease and its social consequences ; 
and of Maternity, on the theme of the decline of the 
birth-rate. 

Maternity is a good example of Brieux's depressing 
social studies. Julien Brignac, an official, is interested 
in the birth-rate; his sister-in-law is betrayed by Bernin ; 
hence the tragedy. 

XI 

T. W. ROBERTSON AND THE NINETEENTH 
CENTURY DRAMA (ENGLAND, 1829-1871) 

Most Important Plays 

Society (1865) 
*Caste (1867) 

Caste. This is a thoroughly representative piece of 
Robertson's work. It is highly sentimental, and deals 
with the romantic love of George D'Alroy and Esther 
Eccles, the daughter of drunken old Eccles, and the 
breaking dow r n of caste before love. Caste is almost 
everything in plot, spirit, and incident that The doll's 
house and Ghosts are not. Contrast these two types of 
plays ; and consider why the representation of Ghosts in 
London in 1891 created such a sensation. 



XII 

HENRY ARTHUR JONES (ENGLAND, 1851-) 
Most Important Plays 

Saints and sinners (1884) 

The triumph of the Philistine (1895) 

Michael and his lost angel (1905) 

Saints and sinners. Read the author's preface — a 
defence of his art against certain attacks. The play is a 
frank discussion of questions of religion. 

The triumph of the Philistines. Read the preface. 
A study of the power of the social order in any com- 



munity, against which even the landowner Sir Valentine 
Fellowes is powerless. Compare the use of public opin- 
ion in this play with the use made of it by Echegaray in 
The great Galeoto. 

Michael and his lost angel. Read Joseph Knight's 
preface to the play for the author's purpose. The theme 
is "Be not righteous over much." This play is perhaps 
the finest of Jones's work. What are the elements of 
greatness — the story or the characters ? 



XIII 

ARTHUR WING PINERO (ENGLAND, 1855-) 
Most Important Plays 

Sweet lavender (1888) 
*The second Mrs. Tanqueray (1893) 
Iris (1900) 
Letty (1904) 

Sweet Lavender. This play shows the tendencies of 
the English theater before the influence of Ibsen and 
during the sway of Robertson. Compare this play with 
Robertson's Caste in (a) characters, (b) incidents, (c) 
sentimental situations. 

The second Mrs. Tanqueray. Study what Archer 
says regarding the fine opening of this play {Play-Making 
p. 128-9). Study the character of Paula Tanqueray. 
This play is regarded as the first written under definite 
Ibsen influence. What are the peculiarly Ibsen charac- 
teristics in it? 

XIV 

STEPHEN PHILLIPS (ENGLAND, 1864-) 
Most Important Plays 

* Paolo and Francesca (1899) 
Herod (1900) 

Paolo and Francesca. A fine example of a poetic 
play. The situation is well worked out. Study the main 
characters, and observe how each furthers the plot. 

8 



Herod. A fine study in the conflict between Herod's 
love for his queen and his overmastering self-love and 
ambition. Show how this is carried out. 



XV 

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (IRELAND, 1856-) 

Widower's houses 

You never can tell (1906) 
*Candida (1906) 
*Arms and the man 

Fanny's first play 

Widower's houses. This is an example of Shaw's 
"unpleasant" plays. The theme is the complexity of 
modern society. 

You never can tell. A merry comedy, with a funny, 
wise waiter. 

Candida. Shaw's first play. Candida is his greatest 
creation in characters. Note the problem at the end. 
Huneker (Iconoclasts, p. 254-5) gives the meaning of 
the end of this play as Shaw himself explained it. 

Arms and the man. An attack on the sentimental 
idea of the bravery of soldiers. Contrast the characters 
of Sergius and Bluntschli. Study Raina and compare 
with other women characters of Shaw. 

Fanny's first play. Humorous play but attacks rather 
savagelv the dramatic critics who judge by standards 
other than those of the play's real merit. 

XVI 

JOHN GALSWORTHY (ENGLAND, 1867-) 
Most Important Plays 

The silver box (1906) 
*Strife (1909) 
* Justice (1910) 

The pigeon (19 12) 

The silver box. A specimen of Galsworthy's general 
indictment of society. Here he deals with the inequali- 
ties of the law. 

9 



Strife. The struggle between capital and labor, as 
represented by John Anthony and David Roberts. Study 
these two characters. 

Justice. An indictment of the prison system. Does 
Galsworthy show how we may provide a remedy ? 

The pigeon. , This play is an indictment of society in 
general, and the hopelessness of it all. Study the various 
types of character. 

XVII 

WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS (IRELAND, 1865-) 
Most Important Plays 

The Countess Cathleen (1899) 
The Land of Heart's Desire (1894) 
The shadowy waters (1904) 
*Cathleen ni Hoolihan (1902) 
The pot of broth (1902) 

The Countess Cathleen. The play is in poetry. The 
theme is the sale by Countess Cathleen of her soul to the 
demons and some others. 

The Land of Heart's Desire. A Beautiful fairy play 
on the theme of revolt from dull reality. 

Cathleen ni Hoolihan. Cathleen is| the symbol of 
Ireland in the possession of the English. Show how this 
theme is developed. 

The pot of broth. A tiny drama of peasant wit and 
humor. 

XVIII 

LADY AUGUSTA GREGORY (IRELAND, 1852) 
Most Important Plays 

Spreading the news (1904) 
*The traveling man, a miracle play (1907) 
*The workhouse ward (1908) 
*The bogie men (1912) 

Spreading the news. A study of rumor or scandal. 
This, like the other plays of Lady Gregory, is excellent 
for reading in a club. 

10 



The traveling man. A beautiful allegory of the Kingly 
Guest who was known by the little child. 

The workhouse ward, A boisterously humorous play. 

The bogie men. Contains a ludicrous situation ad- 
mirably worked out, with good study of character. 

XIX 

JOHN MILLINGTON SYNGE (IRELAND, 
1871-1908) 

Most Important Plays 

In the shadow of the glen (1903) 

Riders to the sea ( 1904) 

The playboy of the western world (1907) 

In the shadow of the glen. A play full of grim, 
grotesque humor. The heroine, Nora, has been called 
"a peasant Hedda Gabler." How does Synge resemble 
Ibsen ? 

Riders to the sea. A moving, powerful, brief drama. 
Study the character of Maurya. 

The playboy of the western world. This is consid- 
ered to be the greatest of Synge's plays. Why? Note 
(1) humor, (2) the grotesque, (3) pathos, (4) charac- 
ter-drawing. Study the two chief characters, Christy 
Mahon and Pegeen Alike. 

XX 

CLYDE FITCH (AMERICA, 1865-1909) 

Most Important Plays 

*The climbers (1901) 
The girl with the green eyes (1902) 
The truth (1907) 

The climbers. A satire on the speculative set of New 
York. Study the various sorts of "climbers.'' 

The girl with the green eyes. This play is a study 
of the jealous temperament. Jenny is a fine character 
and deserves study. Note the various social types in the 
play. 

The truth. A study of the habit of lying and its 
consequences. Study the general characteristics of 
Fitch's art. 

11 



List of Study Outlines 

Contemporary Drama. Prepared by Prof. Arthur Beatty 
for the Wisconsin Library Commission. Ibsen, Maeter- 
linck, Hauptmann, Sudermann, Echegaray, Rostand, Tche- 
kofT, Brieux, Robertson, Jones, Pinero, Phillips, Shaw, Gals- 
worthy, Yeats, Gregory, Synge, Fitch. List of plays, most 
important ones starred. Interpretative notes and suggestive 
ideas for discussion and study. I2p 25c. 

Contemporary English Literature. Prepared by Prof. 
Arthur Beatty for the Wisconsin Library Commission. 
Swinburne, Meredith, Hardy, Kipling, Bridges, Gissing, 
Conrad, De Morgan, Wells, Bennett, Galsworthy, Yeats, 
A. C. Benson, Chesterton, Noyes, W. W. Gibson, Masefield. 
List of most important works. Critical references. Certain 
books studied with interpretative notes. 2ip 25c. 

Italian Art: A General Survey. Prepared for the Wiscon- 
sin Library Commission. Chronological order of subjects. 
9P 15c 

American Literature. Prepared by Mrs. J. N. Robbins 
for the Oregon State Library. Outline No 1. Early litera- 
ture to Lowell, with a program on the historians, iop 15c. 
Outline No. 2. Orators and statesmen, Whitman, Howells, 
a group of poets, analytical novel, short story, old and new 
South, middle and far West, essayists, humor, drama, iop 
25c. 

South America. Prepared by Corinne Bacon. Topical 
outline with chapter and page references as a help in the 
preparation of papers. Full bibliography. 32p 25c. 

South America Past and Present. Based on the study of 
Bryce. South America. One subject for each meeting with 
questions for discussion. Short list of required references. 
I5P 25c. 

England and Scotland: History and Travel. Intended for 
travel study club which has a historical foundation for its 
work. Bibliography. List of additional topics. I5p 25c. 

United States since the Civil War. Intended for clubs 
studying advanced American history and modern problems. 
Bibliography. I5p 25c. 

Present Day Industries in the United States. Prepared by 
the Study Club Department, Wisconsin Library Commission. 
Topical outline without references. 6p 15c. 

Panama. Prepared by L. E. Stearns for the Wisconsin 
Library Commission. 4p. Under cover with "Mexico. 15c. 

Mexico. Prepared by Study Club Department, Wisconsin 
Library Commission. 2p. To be used in the same year with 
South America Past and Present or Panama. Under one 
cover with Panama. 15c. 

QUANTITY PRICE 

10 copies (duplicate titles) listed @ 25c $1.50 

10 copies (duplicate titles) listed @ 15c 1.00 



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